Here's a breakdown of its key features:
* Instructor-led, but student-driven: The teacher initiates the learning process with carefully chosen questions, but the students' responses shape the direction of the discussion.
* Focus on critical thinking: Questions are designed not just to elicit facts, but to challenge assumptions, explore different perspectives, and encourage deeper analysis.
* Interactive and engaging: The back-and-forth nature of the method keeps students actively involved and promotes participation.
* Progressive questioning: The teacher often uses a series of questions, building upon previous answers to lead students toward the desired conclusion or understanding. This might start with broad, open-ended questions and then narrow down to more specific ones.
* Discovery learning: Students are encouraged to discover concepts and solutions for themselves through their own reasoning and responses, rather than being passively told the answers.
* Assessment tool: The teacher can assess student understanding through their answers, identifying areas where further clarification is needed.
Examples of Question Types:
* Open-ended questions: These encourage broader thinking and varied responses ("What are the potential consequences of...?").
* Closed-ended questions: These elicit specific facts or information ("What is the capital of France?").
* Probing questions: These delve deeper into a student's answer to uncover their reasoning and understanding ("Can you explain why you think that?").
* Leading questions (used cautiously): These can guide students toward a particular conclusion, but should be used sparingly to avoid bias ("Wouldn't you agree that...?").
Advantages:
* Improves critical thinking skills.
* Enhances active learning and engagement.
* Promotes deeper understanding.
* Develops problem-solving abilities.
* Fosters student participation and confidence.
Disadvantages:
* Can be time-consuming.
* Requires skillful questioning by the instructor.
* May not be suitable for all learning styles or subject matters.
* Can be challenging to manage in large classes.
* Requires careful planning and preparation of questions.
In summary, the question-answer method is a powerful teaching strategy when used effectively, but it requires careful planning, skillful facilitation, and a conscious effort to create a supportive and inclusive learning environment.